Volt-ampere meter.



No. 729,422. PATENTED MAY 26, 1903.

M. G. RYPINSKI z'J. LE 0. DAVIS. v

VOLT AMPERBMETBR.

APPLIOATIOI FILED MAR. 31, 1902. no lionnL.

lnvehtors. Maurice CflRgpinski. J. Le Comte Davis.

No.'*729,422. Patented May 26,1903.

UNIT D STATES "'PATE'NT OFFIC MAURICE C. RYPINSKI AND JOSEPH LE CONTEDAVIS, OF SCHENECTADY,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPO- RATION OF NEWYORK. V

v LTI-AVM PQERE M ETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 729,422, dated m a,1903. Application filed March 81,1902. Serial No. 100,654. (No model.)

T0 all whom i may n rn: movable pointer that the expansion of either Beit known that we, MAURICE C. RYPIN SKI one wire or the other will notcause the pointer and JOSEPH LE CONTE DAVIS, citizens of to move, butthe expansion of both will cause the United States, residing atSchenectady, a movement of certain elements, which by county ofSchenectady, State of New York, means of suitable mechanical connectionshave invented certain new and useful 1111- will produce an indication ofthe product of provements in Volt-Ampere Meters, of which the elongationof the two wires. One wire the following is a specification. will beelongated by the'current and the other It is oftentimes useful to knowthe product wire by the volts. One wire covers the anguio of the voltsmultipliedby the amperes flowing lar movement of the shaft and the otherthe in a given circuit; This product is usually degree of eccentricityof a piece carried by obtained by means of the readings of the, voltsaidshaft and which is movable in a radial meter and the ammeter takenseparately and direction therefrom and attached to an indimultipliedtogether. In a direct-current circatin g device. Thus the amperes, forexam- I 5 cuit an'ordinary wattmeter can'be used which ple,may controlthe angular movement of the will read directly on a scale ofvolt-amperes. shaft and the volts the'radial distance of the However,with alternating current it is some-- device carried by the shaft, andthe net retimes desirable to know the volt-amperes as suit is theproduct of the two, causingadefiec- Well, and an ordinary wattmeterwould indition of the pointer or indicator representing 20 cate theproduct of the volts times the amvolt-amperes. 7o peres times the cosineof the angle between Referring to the accompanying drawings, the voltsand amperes in the circuit. With Figure 1 shows the instru'm'enti-nplan. Fig. direct current this angle must always be zero, 2 is a sideelevation of the same with binding and therefore the instrument which isthe posts 11 and 20 and post 8 removed. Fig. 3

25 subject of the present application would be is a section through 3 3of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a for direct current a wattmeter. In analtersectionthrough "4 4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is a mating" circuit,however, the watts represent section through 55 of Fig. {L fthe energyoutput, while the volt-amperes On a suitablemetal base-plate 1: ispivotrepresent the heating-load which is on the ally mounted-a frame2,-composed, prefer- 3o generators, and therefore determine the ex-vably, of two parallel metal guides-3 3, content to which the plant canbe loaded-that nected' at theirends by insulating-blocks 4 4: is, thegenerators might easily be burned out- At about'the middle of each guideis a socket if full load was applied as indicated by Watt- 5,"in whichis firmly secured a spindle fi, the meters only. It is customary to gagethe load. axes of both spindles being in line and per 35 by means ofammeters at the present time, pendicular to the axis of the frame 2. Theassuming that the voltage remains constant. spindles are journaled inadjustable bearings.

Our invention consists in a modification of 7, so that the frame canturn in a plane prefwhat is known as a hot-wire instrument, erablyparallel with the base-plate 1. Posts whereby the volt-amperes will beaccurately 8 are mounted on but insulated from the 0 indicated whetheremployedinmeasuring dibase-plate in line with theframe, and the rectoralternating currents. The instrument wire 9 to be heated by thecurrent'is attached maybe used not only for the purpose speci- :at'eachend to said. posts'and at some interfied above, but also in connectionwith a wattmediate pointto one of the spindles 6, prefermeter indetermining plant efficiency or' the ably by having a reverse turnthrough a 45 power factor of a given circuit, the latter betransversehole in said spindle, asshown in ing the ratio of the watts active inthe circuit 'Fig. 5. Binding-posts 10 11 are connected to the product ofthe volts times the amperes with said posts 3. The other wire 12, whichflowing. is to be heated by the voltage, is attached at The specificmeans employed in the instruone end to the end block land lower guide 35o ment shown are two wires so connected to a of the frame and atitsother end to a slide or pansion.

shifted eccentrically by the biasing-spring 14' carrier-block 13 ofinsulating material, such as ivory, agate, or sapphire, which slides inthe guides 3 3. A helical spring 14. is attached at one end to saidcarrier-block l3 and at the other end to the end block 4. On the upperspindle 6 is an insulated metal collar 15, to which the spring 1. iselectrically connected. Said collar carries a non-resilient spiralconductor 16, whose outer end is secured to an insulating-support 17 andis electrically connected with a binding-post 18. The lower spindle isprovided with a similar spiral conductor 19, similarly supported andelectrically connected with a binding-post 20. Thus the voltage acts ona circuit from binding-post 20 to lower conducting-spiral 19, thence tothe hot wire responsive to volts and the collar 15, conducting spiral 16back by wire 16 to binding-post 18.

A light cord 21 is attached at one end to the carrier-block 13 andextends perpendicular to the frame and in the plane of its rotation to aspindle 22, pivotally mounted in bearings 23 on the base-plate. Aspiralspring 24: is attached to the spindle and to an arm 25 on the base-plateand not only keeps the cord wound tight, but acts to take up any slacktherein and in the wire 9. On the spindle 22 is a pointer 26, whichswings over a scale 27, supported on standards 28. The spiral spring 24,one end of which is attached to the fixed abutment or arm 25 and theother end to the shaft 22, to which the cord 21 is connected, alwayskeeps this cord taut and pulls against the slide 13. If, however, thisslide is truly central-that is to say, in its normal position-themovable system comprising the pivots 5 6 and the frame 2 is unatfected,and if current exists in the wires 9 these wires are simply eased up bytheir ex- When, however, the slide 13 is when the wire 12 carriescurrent, the spiral spring 21 has a leverage on the movable systemreferred to and partially rotates it as far as the slackness in thewires 9 will permit.

The metal base-plate is mounted on a slab 29 of insulating material, inwhich are inserted the binding-posts 10, 11, 18, and 20. The metalbase-plate has a coefiicient of expansion equal to that of the hotwires, so as to compensate for changes in external temperature.

The operation of our volt-ampere meter is as follows: With no current inthe wire 12 the center of the carrier-block coincides with the axis ofpivotal movement of the spindles 6 and frame 2. If current is suppliedthrough the wire 9 without the wire 12 being energized, there will be notendency for the pointer 26 to move, because, although the elongation ofthe wire 9 may permit the frame 2 to rotate slightly, the point ofattachment of the cord to the carrier-block is not moved out of the axisof rotation, and there is consequently no slack in the cord. Again, ifthe wire 12 alone were energized there would be no movement of thepointer, because the cord is relatively so long with reference to themaximum travel of the carrier-block in the frame that any movement ofthe block when the frame is in its normal position will not slacken thecord sufficiently to in fluence the pointer; but when both wires areenergized, one by the current and the other by the voltage, and expandfrom the heat due thereto the helical spring 14 draws the carrienblockto one side and the slack of the wire 9 permits the spiral spring 24 toturn the spindle 22 and Wind up the cord 21 until the turning of thespindle 6 has taken up the slack in the wire 9. The resultant movementof the pointer, due to the product of the elongations of the two wires,indicates upon the scale the product of the amperes and volts, which ina directcurrent circuit will be the true watts.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

1. A hot-wire volt-ammeter comprising a wire responsive to amperes andone responsive to volts, and means for multiplying together theirexpansions.

2. A hot-wire volt-ammeter comprising a wire responsive to amperes andone responsive to volts, a shaft governed by one of said wires, and anindicator connected to a device governed by the other, said device heand movable when said wire expands or con-- tracts, and means forindicating the resultant of the movements of said elements.

5. A volt-ampere meter comprising two wires arranged to be heatedrespectively by the current and the voltage in a circuit, a pivotedguide connected with one of said wires, a slide connected with the otherwire and movable along said guide, and means for indicating theresultant movements of the guide and slide.

6. A volt-ampere meter comprising two wires arranged to be heatedrespectively by the current and the voltage in a circuit, a pivotedframe movable with the expansion of one of said wires, and carrying theother wire, a slide movable in said frame by the expansion of the wiretherein, and means for indicating the resultant movement of the frameand slide.

7. A volt-ampere meter comprising two wires arranged to be heatedrespectively by the current and the voltage in a circuit, a framepivoted on a spindle to which one of said wires is attached, a slidemovable in said frame and connected by the other wire with one end ofsaid frame, a spring holding said slide normally at the axis ofpivotal'movement of the frame, and indicating devices attached to saidslide.

8. A volt-ampere meter comprisinga frame pivoted to swing in a givenplane, a slide movable along said frame from a position in the pivotalaxis thereof, a cord attached to said slide and extending perpendicularto said frame in the plane of its rotation, a pointer provided withmeans for moving it when said cord is slacked, a hot wire attached tosaid frame, and a second hot wire carried by the frame and adapted tomove said slide,

9. Avolt-ampere meter comprising a frame composed of parallel metal.guides, with insulating end blocks, spindles projecting from saidguides, a hot wire attached to one of said spindles, an insulatingcarrier-block adapted to slide in said guides, ahot wire attached to oneend block and said carrierblock, a spring attached to said carrier-blockand the other end block, flexibleconductors' conveying current to theframesupported wire, a cord attached to the carrier-block and wound on aspindle, and a spring and a pointer attached to said spindle.

10. A voltampere meter comprising a frame composed of two parallel metalguides, with insulating end blocks, spindles projecting from saidguides, an insulating carrierblock sliding in said guides, a wireattached to one of the end blocks and the carrier-block,-

a helical spring attached to the other end block and thecarrier-blockand keeping the latter normally in the axial line of the spindles, abushing on each spindle, one of said 'bushin gs being insulated and eachconnected DAVIS.

